Nintendo Switch Online
|members = over 10 million (as of July 2019) |platform = Nintendo Switch |website = }} Nintendo Switch Online is a suite of features on the Nintendo Switch video game console requiring purchase of a subscription. Nintendo Switch Online features include online multiplayer, cloud saving, voice chat, access to a library of Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) games, as well as other promotions and offers. Following a period where some of its features were available to all users at no charge, the subscription service officially launched on September 19, 2018. The service is Nintendo's third generation online service after Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and the Nintendo Network. History In January 2017, prior to the release of the Nintendo Switch console in March, it was stated that online features such as multiplayer would eventually require purchase of a paid "online service", but that they would be available to all users at no charge until the service launched. Features announced included a companion smartphone app, as well as access to a free Nintendo Entertainment System game per-month. The service was initially planned for late 2017. In June 2017, it was announced that the service would be delayed until some time in 2018, and that Nintendo was aiming for an annual price of $20. Then-Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aimé explained that the delays were to ensure that the service was "world-class", and had enough of its announced functionality available on-launch to justify its cost. Nintendo aimed for a lower price point in comparison to PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold, as the service does not include the same range of features as these subscription services provide. Then-Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima stated that the price point was a subject of importance in designing the Switch's online services, and that regardless of what competitors were doing, "it's a matter of getting our content to the consumer at a price point that would make them happy, and then we're willing to look at what else we can do going forward." Additional features, including a larger and persistent library of NES games for subscribers (with 20 available on launch, and more to be added on an ongoing basis), as well as cloud save support, was unveiled during a Nintendo Direct presentation on September 17, 2018. The service became available on September 19, 2018 in 43 markets. In September 2018, Nintendo Switch consoles imported to China started experiencing connectivity issues there, due to the Nintendo Switch Online service using Google's servers, which are blocked in China. On March 28, 2019, Twitch announced that Twitch Prime members can claim up to a year of free Nintendo Switch Online membership between March 28, 2019 and January 20, 2020. The service officially launched in South Korea and Hong Kong, on April 23, 2019. Usage By December 31, 2018, approximately three months after its launch, the service had gained more than eight million subscribers. Nintendo reported in late-April 2019 that the service had 9.8 million subscribers. As of July 2019, President of Nintendo, Shuntaro Furukawa, confirmed that Nintendo Switch Online has over 10 million subscribers. Features Multiplayer Nintendo Switch Online is required to access online multiplayer on the majority of titles. Some free-to-play multiplayer games, such as Fortnite Battle Royale and Warframe, are exempt from this requirement, and can be played online freely without a subscription. Cloud saves Cloud storage allows save data for many games to be synchronized online, so it can be recovered if the user must move their Nintendo Account to a different Switch console. The feature is not available on games with certain forms of online functionality (particularly item trading and competitive rankings), citing concerns surrounding the possibility of abuse that could "unfairly affect" gameplay. Players lose access to their cloud saves should they cancel or allow their subscription to expire, though have a grace period of six months to renew their subscriptions or recover these cloud saves before these saves are purged. Communication Users can voice chat through the Nintendo Switch Online mobile app on smartphones. Voice chat functionality is not available natively through the Switch console; Fils-Aimé justified the decision by explaining that "Nintendo's approach is to do things differently. We have a much different suite of experiences than our competitors offer, and we do that in a different way. This creates a sort of yin and yang for our consumers. They're excited about cloud saves and legacy content but wish we might deliver voice chat a different way, for example." NES games Switch Online subscribers can access a Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) app (Family Computer in Japan), which features a persistent and expanding library of classic titles from the system. The games are available as long as the user has an active subscription, and a user must connect online at least once a week to continue to access the titles while offline. Games with multiplayer modes support both local and online play; the online play function is the first for NES games. Certain games also have an alternate version labeled "SP" ("Extra" in some regions) which either starts the player near the end of the game or starts the game with the maximum amount of items and lives. Most of the games released in both the Americas and PAL territories are the original NTSC-U versions, which include their North American titles and 60 Hz support. The Western NES variant of the software is available in South Korea, whilst the Japanese Family Computer variant is available in Hong Kong. Offers and promotions Switch Online subscribers are also granted access to special offers and promotions from Nintendo; on launch, those who purchased a 12-month subscription or family plan received special in-game items for Splatoon 2, and Nintendo opened exclusive pre-orders for special wireless controllers based on the NES controller, specifically intended for use with the aforementioned NES app. Coinciding with the anticipated release of Super Mario Maker 2, a price-reduction promotion was announced during the game's Nintendo Direct that was available exclusively to Nintendo Switch Online members. The promotion introduced "Nintendo Switch Game Vouchers", which allows purchasers to download two qualifying Nintendo Switch games for a set price of $99.99 MSRP, compared to a $120 sum of buying both games separately. References Category:Nintendo services Category:Online gaming services Category:Nintendo emulators Category:Video game platform emulators Category:Nintendo Entertainment System emulators Category:Nintendo Switch Category:Nintendo Entertainment System